The Think Tank’s leading members include nearly a dozen men[OU1] who served decades at the Wall and other Pennsylvania prisons, but left better men. They and the other Think Tank members are attempting to use their success stories to understand why they succeeded and how their journey can assist others who are re-entering society.
The EBTT began with a series of Inside-Out courses offered within the confines of a State Correctional Institute, Pittsburgh. The protagonist for the Inside-Out Programs at the State Correctional Institute of Pittsburgh is Dr. Norman Conti. According to Conti: “The classes attracted fifteen incarcerated men who spent two semesters studyingcriminal justice, philosophy, and sociology with university undergraduates. The original Think Tank was formed the following summer. Each incarcerated member had been convicted of murder: all would say that they were fundamentally transformed by their time in prison, and that this transformation included a desire to restore some of the harms they had done to society, as well as to protect others from the harms they suffered. While they all passionately hoped for eventual commutation, none had concrete grounds for expecting to ever be released from prison. Still, they wanted to use the wisdom their life experiences had given them to help other incarcerated men prepare to readjust to life outside prison.
The original think tank was dispersed when SCI Pittsburgh closed, but rather than dying, it germinated. The main body – which now includes returning citizens, students and faculty from various disciplines and universities, activists, artists, political leaders, police, and prison and justice system employees continues to meet weekly on campus at Duquesne University.”
